Daily White Sox Review

April 14: Oakland 2, White Sox 1

The Good: Well, Buehrle pitched a pretty good game. He definitely battled despite not having his best stuff. Swisher got on base 4 times and scored the only Sox run as a result of great baserunning. Boone Logan continues to pitch great out of the pen, getting out of a jam in the 9th to keep the game close.

The Bad: Well, I could complain about the hitting, but the fact is that A’s rookie Greg Smith pitched a hell of a game. The Sox had no answer for his changeup, and Smith mixed his fastball in beautifully. The Sox were off-balance all night. When Smith left after 7, I hoped that the Sox would be able to get to the Oakland pen. But despite a long flyout by Swisher in the 8th and 2 runners getting stranded in the 9th, no runs crossed the plate.

Final thought: Well, the trend continues with Sox hitters not doing well against guys they haven’t seen. But it may not be the Sox this time; this Smith kid was really impressive. He also pitched well in his first start of the year, getting a no-decision despite allowing just 5 hits. Hopefully, the Sox can get a split of the two-game set tonight.

Daily White Sox Review

April 13: White Sox 11, Detroit 0

The Good: Just about everything. Vazquez went 7 innings and didn’t allow a run. Paul Konerko and Joe Crede hit grand slams; Crede’s was his second of the week. The Sox move to 8-4, including 5-1 against the Tigers, who just look fucking horrible right now. I’m not ready to write them off like most of the media, but good lord…..they remind me a lot of last year’s Sox team. A really good lineup on paper that just isn’t hitting and a pitching staff with one or two starters and a horrible pen.

The Bad: It was cold outside. Thats about it.

Final thought: Fantastic weekend after a tough loss on Friday. I don’t know if the White Sox are good or if the Tigers are this bad right now; the Sox are 3-3 against the teams not named the Detroit Tigers. But this week brings Baltimore, Oakland, and Tampa Bay, three teams off to similarly solid starts, so we should start to see the truly improved teams seperate themselves from the pack of those teams that are simply off to good starts.

Daily White Sox Review

April 12: White Sox 7, Detroit 0

The Good: All-around, this might have been the best game of the year to this point. Gavin Floyd tossed 7 and a third innings of no-hit ball, and the White Sox broke open a 1-0 game in the 8th with 6 runs. Orlando Cabrera hit his first home run of the season, and Linebrink and Jenks combined for just under two innings of perfect relief. To this point, both have been awesome out of the pen.

The Bad: The weather was bad. And the offense didn’t get to Verlander until the 8th when he had been exceeded 100 pitches. If the Tiger bullpen hadn’t been stretched out the night before, the Tigers might get out of the 8th without much damage. But Leyland had to stick with Verlander, and he ran out of gas.

Final thought: Obviously, the best part of this game was the performance of Gavin Floyd. I’m not sure if he just has Detroit’s number or if he is actually making a move this year, but to this point, he’s been the best starting pitcher on the staff. If he can continue to be solid and either Contreras or Danks can be just decent, the Sox will be in good shape.

Daily White Sox Review

April 11: Detroit 5, White Sox 2

The Good: Not a whole lot. Contreras pitched a pretty good game. I’ll take 6 and two-thirds and 4 earned runs most nights. Carlos Quentin continues to hit well, getting on base three times. Brian Anderson made his first start of the season and looked good both at the plate and in the field. Jerry Owens better get back soon because I really don’t see a spot for him on this team if the play of Quentin and Anderson continues.

The Bad: Well, the offense got a total of 3 hits, so thats not good. The worst thing that happened to the Sox last night was the injury to Dontrelle Willis; I would rather of seen him in there for another 5 or 6 innings rather than the guys they brought in from the bullpen. The home plate umpiring was horrible last night, as both teams consistently had problems with the strike zone. And once again, Thome continues to look really bad. I don’t know if he needs a night off or what.

Final thought: Well, the Tigers played a great game all around last night. They came up with two-out runs, hit in situations, and pitched fantastically. It was easily their best played game of the year. They’re a talented team and thats going to happen.

Daily White Sox Review

April 9: Minnesota 12, White Sox 5

The Good: Swisher, Konerko, and Crede hit homeruns after the Sox fell behind 7-0 in the 2nd inning, at least making it relatively close at one point. Massett threw a couple of solid inning in relief before falling apart. Other than that, the only good thing was me finding a shitload of hot pictures of Kate from ‘Lost’ on the interwebs.

The Bad: John Danks had horrible control and got shelled. Massett’s troubles began in his fourth inning of work, and he was eventually charged with allowing 5 runs. Jim Thome’s cold streak continued after an 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts performance. He is now hitting .156 on the season and doesn’t have an RBI since opening day.

Final thought: Games like this are going to happen, and when they happen after a 5-game winning streak, they are pretty easy to take. But Thome’s struggles concern me. I try not to get too high or too low on the team this early in the season; but a #3 hitter with an average hovering around .100 with 0 home runs and 0 RBI since his third at-bat of the season scares me. I hope this is just a slump and not a more permanent trend.

Daily White Sox Review

April 7: White Sox 7, Minnesota 4

JOE CREDE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The rule is if hit a game-winning grand slam on opening day, you get your picture up there on the DWSR banner instead of a hot chick. Seriously, how clutch is Joe Crede?

Daily White Sox Review

April 6: White Sox 13, Detroit 2

The Good: Pretty much everything. Swisher led off the game with his first White Sox home run. Orlando Cabrera had a three-run double. AJ got on base three times. Carlos Quentin continued his hot start with 4 RBI, while Joe Crede knocked in another three. Pitching-wise, Mark Buehrle tossed seven innings and allowed just one earned run. To wrap things up, Mike MacDougal worked two innings and didn’t allow a run. Thats where I like to see MacDougal…..with an 11-run lead in the 9th.

The Bad: Well, the Sox had three errors, two by Crede. Thats about it.

Final thought: A 4-2 week against Cleveland and Detroit on the road is a wonderful start; I’m thrilled with the first week, especially in the production of the lineup and the bullpen. I’m going to opening day today; maybe there will be some pictures to accompany tomorrow’s post.

Daily White Sox Review

April 5: White Sox 5, Detroit 3

The Good: Gavin Floyd tossed 6 innings and allowed just three runs, two coming off a mistake to Brandon Inge. The White Sox showed good patience at the plate, working eight walks to combine with only three hits. The bullpen again looked great, as Boone Logan, Linebrink, and Jenks all worked scoreless innings. Perhaps most importantly, Carlos Quentin looked great both at the plate and in the field. Its going to be hard for Ozzie to get him out of the lineup when Jerry Owens comes back.

The Bad: Not much, except the Sox only had three hits. Inge, the Tigers’ ninth place hitter, had all three Tiger RBIs, so you would hope that the 9-hitter wouldn’t kill you. But thats really searching for bad; the Sox did a good job on the rest of the powerful Tiger lineup.

Final thought: I’m thrilled with the last three games, especially the bullpen work in the last two against Detroit. However, the Tigers are reeking of a team that is pressing right now. Plus, with Granderson and Sheffield out of the lineup and Cabrera banged up, I have a good feeling that while Tiger fans might be freaking out right now, this team will be fine soon.

Daily White Sox Review

April 4, 2008–White Sox 8, Detroit 5

The Good: The offense came alive, led by AJ Pierzynski’s 3 hits, 5 RBIs, and 3-run homer to break a 5-5 tie in the 8th. After Jose Contreras gave up 5 runs in 5 innings, the bullpen came on and shut the Tigers down. Boone Logan, Dotel, Linebrink, and Jenks all worked without giving up a run. Jermaine Dye had three hits and made a great sliding catch with two on in the ninth to end the game, somewhat making up for his horrible defensive series against the Indians.

The Bad: Jose Contreras. I appreciate what Jose did for us in 2005 and part of 2006, and I will never boo him. But its clear that he is, at best, a number 5 pitcher on a rotation. Not a 3 or a 4. His confidence is shot, and as much as people used to fear his forkball, now it hangs more than it bites, and people jump all over it. Also, Uribe had an error in the first leading to a run. His play at second best thus far can be best described as “spotty”.

Final thought: Very good win, as the offense had its best game of the four played thus far. AJ, Dye, and Konerko all played well, and Swisher and Cabrera continue to set the table well. The bullpen looked good for the third time in four games. But I don’t think Jose Contreras can continue to start every fifth game for us if the Sox plan on making a run at a division title.

Daily White Sox Review

April 3: White Sox 2, Cleveland 1

The Good: Pitching, pitching, pitching. Jon Danks threw a solid game, going 6.2 and allowing just one run. Dotel came on to get the Sox out of a jam in the 7th, Scott Linebrink pitched a perfect 8th, and Bobby Jenks locked it down for the save. Offensively, the Sox lived by the long ball with home runs in the Juan Uribe (who avoids my wrath for a day) in the 6th and Mr. Clutch, Joe Crede in the 8th. Sox get their first win and I can avoid wasting the rest of the day at work wondering why the hell I feel like this team is going to suck just because they got swept right off the bat.

The Bad: Well, outside of those two homers, the offense was pretty dead. But a lot of that had to do with Jake Westbrook, who many say is going to have a breakout year. The outfield defense was a problem for the second game in a row, as Jermaine Dye looks like a DH playing right field. Carlos Quentin got his first action of the season and promptly went 0-for-4.

Final thought: Winner, winner, chicken dinner. So things could be worse. 1-2 going into Detroit looks a lot better than 0-3. It should be an interesting series, especially with Contreras facing a struggling Tiger offense tomorrow. Also, enjoy one of my new favorites in the adult industry–Bree Olson–in the banner pic and here (very NSFW). Searching for her at work might get me fired.